Max's Hart--Part Seven

Jennifer and Andie were burning with questions. Jonathan stepped behind the bar, which had long since been vacated by a very frightened bartender, to fix them each a drink before filling them in on the details. He quickly located a bottle of white wine and three glasses, popping the cork with ease and pouring the glasses full of the sparkling liquid. Despite the events of the evening, Jonathan remained calm, cool, and collected. No one would ever have suspected that he had just tangled with an attempted murderer.

"Jonathan, how did you know that he was hiding in the trees?" Jennifer was curious, as she had been seated with him on the swing and had seen nothing that seemed even remotely suspicious. Though she had to admit, she hadn't exactly been looking. Her attention, as usual, had been focused on her husband.

"While we were sitting there, I kept seeing these little flashes at the edge of the trees, on the side facing the pool area. They would appear for just a moment, like a reflection on a mirror."

Jennifer and Andie were hanging on Jonathan's every word, waiting for him to unravel the mystery for them. He had their undivided attention and they waited patiently for him to continue.

"It took me a minute to realize what it was… all the sudden it clicked…there had to be someone in the trees who was moving around…with something that would reflect the light …like a watch, or glasses…maybe even a gun."

"You could have been killed!" Jennifer was used to her husband throwing himself head first into dangerous situations but it never got any easier.

"But I wasn't," he said, touching her hand which rested on the bar, a loving gesture meant to calm her. "When I got into the woods the security guards were already behind him, about to make their move. When you shouted to the others to go into the house you must have spooked him and he turned around to run, but we were all there waiting for him. It was when we were attempting to subdue him that the gun accidentally went off. Fortunately no one was hurt."

"Where did all of the security guards come from?" Andie wondered out loud. "I didn't see them earlier. Were you expecting trouble?" She was visibly shaken, and the fact that her presence had ruined Deann and Steve's party was causing her considerable guilt.

"You must have arranged security, darling?" Jennifer asked, knowing that security personnel were not on Deann's normal party planning checklist.

"Yes. While you two were getting ready I made a few phone calls. One to tell Deann that we were coming and another to the security office at Hart Industries to have them send over a few off duty men to watch the party. I wanted them to be inconspicuous so I just asked them to keep an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious. They spotted this guy right away and had been following him at a distance as he entered the wooded area from the adjoining lot. By the time I entered the woods they were already in pursuit."

"Now that they have the shooter in custody, do you think they'll be able to arrest Derek?" Jennifer was feeling optimistic that maybe the evening wouldn't be a total waste. "If he talks and tells Lieutenant Grey about Derek's involvement then maybe this whole thing will be over."

"I hope so, darling. But most likely he won't be interrogated till morning. If anyone can get the truth out of him, Herschel can." He was trying to sound reassuring to the women, but Jennifer noticed the skepticism in his voice.

"I feel horrible," Andie explained. "This is all my fault. I ruined the party."

"Andie, you had no way of knowing this would happen. Deann and Steve understand that." Jennifer actually felt that some of the responsibility lay with her as she was the one who had suggested they attend the party. She wasn't upset about the party being ruined, but by the fact that her suggestion had endangered Andie's life.

"I have a feeling that it will be a long time before I find myself on the guest list for one of their parties again." Andie sighed, feeling guilty for ruining everything, especially after their hosts had been so welcoming to her.

"It's been a long evening for all of us. What do you say we go say goodnight to Deann and Steve and then go home and get some rest. We'll know more in the morning. I'll leave Lieutenant Grey a message asking him to call me first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good to me!" Andie exclaimed, already out of her chair and heading for the house.

Inside the house, Deann, Steve, and Stanley were talking quietly over a pot of coffee. All of the guests had long since left the party. Jennifer and Andie offered to help Deann clean up some of the mess in the patio area before leaving, giving Stanley an opportunity to talk with his employer for a few minutes.

"Mr. Hart," Stanley stammered, pushing his glasses up on his nose and straightening his tie, which by now was nearly dry, "You know I really wanted to help you out there…I just thought that someone should stay near the house….to protect the women, you know." Stanley was always trying to impress his boss, and although Jonathan knew that Stanley's fears would never have led him into the woods, he was too kind to mention it. Stanley looked up to Jonathan and secretly wished he could be just like him. The truth was, however, that the two men could not have been more different. Where Jonathan was handsome, charming, and worldly, Stanley was gawky, aloof, and had led a very sheltered life.

"You did the right thing, Stanley. Smart thinking." Jonathan patted his admiring friend who was now beaming with a goofy grin from the knowledge that Jonathan had been impressed with his actions. Jonathan genuinely liked Stanley and whenever possible he would boost the little man's ego, even if it meant saying things that weren't entirely true.

A few minutes later, the Harts and Andie said their goodbyes to their hosts. Andie had been overly apologetic and Deann and Steve reassured her that they didn't blame her and that, despite everything that had happened, they were very happy to have gotten the opportunity to meet her.

Upon returning home, Andie immediately retired to her bedroom while Jonathan placed a phone call to Lieutenant Grey's answering service asking him to keep them abreast of any developments in the case. Jennifer had gone upstairs to take a quick shower before going to bed and, after checking that the doors were locked and verifying that the guard was still at the front gate, he headed up to join her.

Sliding the glass shower door slowly, he peered inside. She was unaware of his presence as she stood there, facing in the opposite direction, lathering her body with soap and rinsing it off under the warm water. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, closing the door quietly behind him. Reaching out and placing his hands on the smooth skin of her waist, he slid them around her front, pulling himself closer to her until they were skin to skin. Despite his sneaking into the shower, he hadn't startled her.

"Mmmm…what took you so long?" She asked, seductively. "I was expecting you." She turned her neck around until she was looking directly into his blue eyes and kissed him tenderly on the lips, teasing him gently with the tip of her tongue as it parted his lips. She turned her attention away from him, taking the sponge and slowly rubbing the soap against it before sliding it along the curves of her hips and down her thighs.

He reached out and retrieved the sponge from her grasp. "It looks like you might need a little help with those hard to reach spots," he said, grinning and leaning over to kiss her shoulder before turning his attention elsewhere.

They frolicked under the water, taking turns rubbing each other's bodies with the sudsy sponge and laughing, very much like two children at play. Their play began to grow more passionate as their kissing and caressing intensified. The water ran off their bodies, splashing at their feet as they embraced, seemingly without a care in the world.

He pressed her body against the steam covered tile wall of the enclosed space. He loved the feel of her moist skin against his. As the sound of the rushing water drowned out the outside world, they moved together in harmony until they entered that place where only the two of them existed.

The sound of a telephone ringing disturbed their slumber. Jennifer gently nudged her husband as the phone was located on the nightstand on his side of their king-size bed. He groaned at her prodding, then slowly lifted his head from the satin covered pillow and looked at the clock. The red glowing numbers showed the time to be almost eight o'clock. He sat up and reached for the phone.

"Hello," he said, in a sleepy voice. "Oh, hi Herschel." As Jonathan spoke with Lieutenant Grey, Jennifer dragged herself out of bed, pulled on a white terry cloth robe, and went into the bathroom to splash her face with cool water in an effort to wake herself. She returned several minutes later to find Jonathan sitting at the edge of the bed putting on his slippers.

"What did Lieutenant Grey have to say?" Jennifer inquired, handing her husband his robe.

"Nothing good, unfortunately. He got there early this morning, hoping to get some information out of DiMarco, but no luck. He isn't talking."

She sat down on the bed next to him, placing her arm around his shoulder. "So, what do we do now?" She rubbed the base of his neck with her fingertips, sensing the tension that was already building.

"I'm not sure. I was really hoping that DiMarco would give Herschel the evidence he needed to bring Derek into custody. I've got Stanley doing some more research for me, hopefully he will come up with something."

She tilted her head sideways until it rested on her husband's shoulder. They were both discouraged, and neither one of them wanted to begin the day by telling Andie that there was still not enough evidence to arrest the man who was threatening her life.

Once again, the sound of the phone startled them. Jonathan looked at Jennifer, a puzzled look on his face. It was rare for their phone to ring this early in the morning, and this was already their second call of the day. Maybe Lieutenant Grey had uncovered something after all.

"Hello," Jonathan answered. After listening to the caller's introduction, he responded. "Yes, this is Jonathan Hart…Yes…An hour is fine. Do you know where the house is? Ok, we'll see you then." He hung up the phone, looking more perplexed than before he had answered it.

"Darling? Who was that?"

"That was Derek Sanders. He wants to come by and speak to us. Says he needs to explain."

Jennifer's expression revealed that she was just as unsettled as her husband. "Did you say he would be here in an hour? I guess we'd better get dressed and tell Andie. How do you think she will react to this?"

"I don't imagine she will be too thrilled about seeing him. I can't imagine what he has to tell us."

Jennifer was a little concerned about allowing Derek Sanders into their home. He was, after all, suspected of attempted murder. "Should we notify Lieutenant Grey of this little development?"

"Darling, I don't think he would be crazy enough to try to harm Andie here. But I will ask the security officer by the gate to search him anyway. It might make Andie feel safer."

They both dressed and headed downstairs, finding Andie sitting there reading the morning paper. She greeted them cheerily, making them feel guilty for the news they were about to impart on her. She was feeling safer already, knowing that the man who had been following her was behind bars.

Upon hearing of Derek's impending visit, she reacted negatively, as they had expected she would. "What?" she screamed. "He's coming here? Why?"

Jonathan tried to reassure her that she would be perfectly safe. "The security guard at the gate will make sure he isn't a danger to anyone. And maybe his visit will turn out to be a good thing. He might slip up and incriminate himself. At the very least we will get a better idea of the man we are dealing with."

"Okay," she said hesitantly, still unconvinced that it was a good idea. "As long as you think it won't be dangerous." Despite the fact that she had only known them a short time, she trusted the Harts with her life. For some reason she couldn't explain, she felt at home for the first time in a very long time.

Derek Sanders arrived at the Hart's home exactly an hour after speaking with Jonathan. Andie was still in her room, unaware of his arrival. The first thing that both Jennifer and Jonathan noticed was the change in his appearance from the previous day. His meticulously pressed professional-looking suit had been replaced by a more casual outfit-khaki colored cotton pants and a navy Polo shirt. The stubble on his face indicated that his face had been untouched by his razor that morning. There were dark circles framing his eyes, which themselves were filled with a look that the Harts were hard pressed to identify. Even the way he carried himself had been altered, just yesterday he had moved with such grace and confidence. Now his shoulders were slumped slightly forward and he moved slower, more tentatively. They weren't sure what to attribute this change to. Stress? Fear? The fact that the police were breathing down his neck?

"Was it really necessary for the guard out front to frisk me?" It was impossible to tell if Derek was conveying anger or hurt. "I told you yesterday-I am not trying to hurt Andie."

"Well, please excuse our rudeness then, but we thought it better not to take any chances." Jonathan motioned for Derek to take a seat. "What is it that brings you here?"

"Where is Andie? I'd like a chance to explain some things to her."

Just then Andie walked into the room, her pace slowing as she noticed Derek sitting there staring at her. He rose and started to move toward her, causing her to nervously back up several steps.

Noticing her reaction, he stepped back, giving her the space she needed. "Hello Andie." He said nothing more.

"Derek," she said simply, her tone denoting nothing. It wasn't a greeting, it was merely an acknowledgement of his presence. The lack of emotion in her voice almost seemed a calculated attempt to wound him.

"Andie, I need to talk to you. It's important. Could we talk privately?" He pleaded with her, though it was clear that neither his words nor the emotion behind them had any effect on her.

"No," she said sternly. "Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of the Harts."

"Okay, if that's the way you want it."

Andie came over to sit on the chair opposite Derek. Jennifer and Jonathan could feel the tension in the room and hoped their decision to allow Derek to visit had been the correct one. Andie was clearly uncomfortable with his presence as she sat there nervously playing with the simple gold bracelet that encircled her wrist. She was having a hard time making eye contact with her stepfather and looked as if she would rather be anywhere else in the world.

Jonathan didn't want this encounter to last any longer than it had to. "Okay, you've got our full attention now. Why are you here?"

Derek collected his thoughts before beginning. "I am here because I need Andie to know that I have never done anything to harm her. I wouldn't…I couldn't…do anything to her. She is my daughter, she always will be." He looked to the Harts, who were listening intently. "I know that you are aware that Andie isn't my biological daughter. I even know that her real father was a close friend of yours." He noted their surprised reaction. "I knew who Max was, I always have. I was always worried that he would find out that Andie was his daughter and that he would want to be a part of her life. Andie's mother told me all about him. I even knew that she came here to Los Angeles for his funeral. She didn't tell me she was going, I just found out. It hurt me, but I understood. I knew that in her eyes, I would never be half the man that Max was."

Andie wasn't much interested in Derek's tales of woe. She mustered up every ounce of courage that she had and asked the question she needed answered most. "Why are you trying to hurt me? I left San Diego. I'm not a part of your life anymore. Isn't that good enough for you? When I found out that I wasn't really your daughter, everything made sense. I understood finally why I had never been able to earn your affections, you attention. You probably couldn't stand the sight of me, could you?" Her voice began to waver and tears welled in her eyes, but her determination to get answers from this man never faltered.

"Andie, that couldn't be further from the truth! I admit, there were times that I looked at you that all I could see was your mother's betrayal. But that was when you were younger. I did have a hard time getting close to you, but that was not because of you, it was because of my own insecurity. I was always afraid that if I let you in, that one day your father would return and I would lose you. I couldn't got through that…not again." He looked away from Andie, knowing that he had revealed something that he had promised himself he would never tell another living soul.

Andie's tone softened. "What do you mean, not again?" She didn't want to let her guard down, but she was curious to find out what Derek was eluding to.

"Never mind, it isn't important." He was hoping desperately that someone would change the subject. He hadn't meant to let that part of his past surface ever again.

Fortunately, Jonathan unintentionally came to his rescue. "You say you have nothing to do with any of the attempts on Andie's life, yet all of the evidence seems to point straight to you. How do you explain that?" Jonathan was willing to listen to what the man had to say, thought he was skeptical about whether or not he would get the truth.

"I don't know what to say to convince you that I am not involved. I don't know anything about this!"

"Then why, when we came to your house, did throw us out when we mentioned Tony DiMarco? We already know of his involvement in this and that he is connected to your construction company. How exactly would you explain that? Even you would have to admit that having a thug like that on your payroll doesn't exactly make you look innocent." Jonathan's tone was accusatory and immediately put Derek on the defensive.

"Ok, I admit it…Anthony DiMarco has received payments from my company in the past. But I NEVER hired him to do ANYTHING to Andie. I wouldn't do that! How many times do I have to tell you that?" He was becoming agitated, making Andie increasingly uneasy.

"Derek, I made the payments to DiMarco on a regular basis." She was trying to keep her cool, though the anger was seeping through. "I even questioned you about it on one occasion. You just told me to ignore it and keep paying him, so I did. How ironic…I was making the payments to have myself eliminated. I bet you loved that, huh?"

Jonathan continued his interrogation of him. "If you weren't paying him to attack Andie, just what were you paying him for?"

"Bringing DiMarco on board was totally Michael's idea. He said he was very experienced in 'locating business opportunities' and that he would be able to significantly increase our profit margin. Michael said that DiMarco's business dealings were strictly legal, but that they might still rub some of our competitors the wrong way. See, when he explained it to me, he said that DiMarco had worked for several competitors and that knowing about the inner workings of their business could only serve to help us. This all happened around the time of Andie's mother's death. I wasn't all that interested in the business at that time because, despite what Andie may have told you, I was deeply affected by her mother's death. I left a lot of the details in Michael's hands, knowing that he was more than capable of functioning effectively. I never even met DiMarco, I trusted Michael when he told me that he was an asset we couldn't pass up."

Andie still didn't trust that she was hearing the truth. "I heard you arguing with someone in your office late one night. I went back into my office, not wanting to disturb you, and a few minutes I saw DiMarco leaving." Her eyes looked directly at Derek, filled with an intense look of hatred.

"Andie, I swear, I have NEVER met the man. You must be confused. How can you be so sure it was me?"

She began to soften. "Well, it was your office, " she answered. "But I guess I didn't actually see you there. I just assumed it was you. I figured you were working late that night. I knew you didn't expect me to be there."

Jennifer looked to her husband, wondering if he was accepting the story that Derek Sanders was presenting. She herself was beginning to wonder if they had too quickly accepted the evidence-what if he was telling the truth? Everything seemed to implicate him in the attacks on Andie but now she was unsure.

Jonathan still needed more answers. "You admitted that you are looking to sell Sanders Constuction. Can I ask why?"

"It's just time, I guess. I used to be so driven, business was the only thing that truly satisfied me. But something has changed. I'm not sure why…maybe it was my wife's death…or Andie…but it just doesn't seem as important anymore. Now seemed like as good a time as any to get out. But it's hardly a motive for murder."

Jonathan's conviction that Derek was behind the whole mess was beginning to waver but he continued to press on. "With Andie out of the picture you would certainly be a wealthy man." He carefully watched Derek's reaction to his line of questioning.

"Mr. Hart, I'm going to be a wealthy man either way. I certainly wouldn't risk going to prison for murder for a little extra cash." He looked flabbergasted at Jonathan's accusation.

"How do you explain the fact that your company is currently being investigated, though not formally, for some illegal activities?"

"WHAT?" Derek Sanders leaned back in his chair, as if some external force had pushed him backwards. He appeared dumbfounded, as if he were hearing this news for the first time. "I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Hart, but I resent the insinuation that you are making. I don't know where you are getting your information but I assure you that you are mistaken."

"My information comes from an extremely credible source," Jonathan explained defensively.

Derek Sanders rose and quickly surveyed the room, as well as the expressions of its inhabitants. "I guess it was a mistake for me to come here. You're not interested in knowing the truth, you've already decided that I am guilty." He looked at Andie, his eyes begging her to listen, "Just remember that I love you. You will always be my daughter."

Andie was moved by his plea but the overwhelming evidence kept her from embracing his words as truth. A part of her wanted to run into his arms but that part was overruled by the fear that controlled her. She sat there, unable to move, unsure of her own feelings.

The jingling of the telephone drew Jennifer out of the room as she quickly moved into the kitchen to answer the call.

"Maybe you should wait here a minute," Jonathan told their guest, "It might be Lieutenant Grey with some news."

Sarcastically, Derek replied, "Well, I might as well make his job easier. I wouldn't want him to have to drive all the way to San Diego to make his collar."

Nothing else was said among the three while they waited for Jennifer to return.

A couple minutes later Jennifer returned to the room. All eyes were on her as they waited to hear if she had news on the investigation.

"Darling," she said to her husband, "that was Stanley. He's on his way over and says he has some news that we will all find very interesting!"